Sonja Yelich facts for kids

Sonja Yelich (born in 1965) is a poet from New Zealand. She is also the mother of the famous singer, Lorde.

Early Life and Education

Sonja Yelich was born in 1965 in Auckland, New Zealand. Her family came from a region called Dalmatia. She went to the University of Auckland to study literature. After that, she became a teacher.

Her Work as a Poet

Sonja Yelich started writing poetry early in her career. Some of her first poems were in a book called AUP Poets 2 in 2002. Her first full book of poems, Clung, came out in 2004. This book won an award in 2005 for the 'Best First Book of Poetry' in New Zealand.

Her poems were chosen for the Best New Zealand Poems collection several times. This happened in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2008. She was also part of a book called New New Zealand Poets in Performance in 2008. This book even came with a CD!

Get Some Poetry Collection

Sonja Yelich's second book of poems, Get Some, was released in 2008. This book was a finalist for a big award, the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Get Some tells the story of an American marine named "Edgar" who is serving in Iraq.

Writing Fellowship

In 2010, Sonja Yelich received a special award called the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship. This award allowed her to write poems full-time. She lived and worked at the Sargeson Centre, which is near the University of Auckland. The fellowship also gave her money to support her writing.

Personal Life

Sonja Yelich lives in Auckland with her husband, Vic O'Connor. They have four children together. One of their children is Ella, who is better known as the singer Lorde. Sonja and Vic got engaged in 2014 and were married on May 6, 2017.

Books of Poetry

• AUP New Poets 2 (2002)
• Clung (2004)
• Get Some (2008)